😕 Points of Order

Commons Chamber

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Conservative MPs Wendy Morton and Caroline Johnson expressed frustration over the government’s slow response to their inquiries, with delays ranging from 65 to 130 days. They raised concerns about unanswered letters on various issues, including budgetary matters and constituent problems. Madam Deputy Speaker acknowledged the delays and advised the MPs to seek further assistance from the Table Office. The MPs’ complaints highlight a broader issue of government responsiveness and respect towards Parliament and constituents.

Summary

  • Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills, Conservative) raised a concern about delays in receiving responses from the Treasury. She mentioned a letter sent on 30 July that remained unanswered after 130 days, and another letter from 29 October that took 65 working days to be redirected to the Department for Education.

  • Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes) acknowledged the delays and suggested that Wendy Morton seek further advice from the Table Office if needed. She noted that the issue had been heard by the government representatives present.

  • Dr Caroline Johnson (Sleaford and North Hykeham, Conservative) also expressed frustration over government response times. She highlighted multiple instances where she and others had written to the Chancellor in November and received no reply despite repeated follow-ups. Additionally, she mentioned a food business in her constituency that sought export support and had sent several requests, all unanswered. She also cited a case regarding vehicle excise duty where a constituent’s issue remained unresolved despite her efforts.

  • Madam Deputy Speaker again advised that while the matter is not for the Chair to resolve, Dr Johnson had correctly raised it during questions and other occasions. She suggested that Dr Johnson might find the Table Office helpful and noted that her concerns would have been noted by the government representatives.

Divisiveness

In this parliamentary session, there is very little to no disagreement displayed between the speakers. The points of order raised by Wendy Morton and Dr. Caroline Johnson focus on the issue of delayed responses from the Government to their inquiries, rather than expressing disagreement towards any policy, statement, or action of another Member of Parliament. Their concerns are directed towards the inefficiency or perceived neglect by the Government, but do not involve contentious debate or argument with others present in the session.

Madam Deputy Speaker responds to both points of order in a neutral and procedural manner, offering advice on how further action might be taken, and acknowledging that the concerns have been noted by the Government. There is no indication in the transcript of any rebuttal, counter-argument, or heated exchange between the participants.

Examples of potential disagreement typically involve debates or exchanges where one speaker challenges the views or actions of another. In this session, the closest to any potential disagreement would be the expressions of frustration with the Government’s handling of inquiries, which could be interpreted as a form of disagreement. However, these statements are not targeted at specific individuals or within the context of an ongoing debate among the Members, but rather as a general complaint about systemic issues.

Given the lack of direct confrontation or argumentative exchange within the session, the rating for disagreement is set as low, at a 1 out of 5.